text:
Mr Gutter Cleaner Thousand Oaks
The best gutter cleaning service and maintenance Thousand Oaks has depended on for years!
There's no need to worry about clearing your gutters or downspouts. We are the trusted choice for the best professional Thousand Oaks gutter cleaning services. Thousand Oaks homeowners trust Thousand Oaks Gutter Cleaning to provide high-quality gutter and downspout cleaning services. Our experts thoroughly inspect your gutters and downspouts to determine the best way to clean them. Our Thousand Oaks Gutter Cleaning specialists will take care of any clogged-up gutters. We are your best choice for top-quality gutter cleaning services in Thousand Oaks, California and the surrounding area.
Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the city of Los Angeles and 40 miles (64 km) from Downtown. It is named after the many oak trees present in the area. The city forms the central populated core of the Conejo Valley. Thousand Oaks was incorporated in 1964, but has since expanded to the west and east.


text:
Sun Slips Then Shines On 14:31.02WR
Aug 4, 2012
Olympic Games, London, Day 8 finals:
Men's 1500m freestyle:
Sun Yang slipped off his blocks after an idiot in the crowd made a loud (whistling) noise; after surfacing he slapped the water in frustration, climbed out and thought he was gone under the one-start rule. They let him back in; good spirit, but not what the rule book says ought to happen.
The crowd, large swatches of it floating on a sea of Chinese flags, wanted their hero back on his blocks. They got their wish and their hero delivered: a world record of 14:31.02 sealed the gold.
Sun, who had raced inside his own record pace by about 2sec for most of the race, leapt on the lane line, pointed at the crowd to folk barely visible behind Chinese flags fluttering wildly and then drove his fists in the water eight times - for love of the luck that brings (Beijing 2008 started on 08:08:08, the number one that delivers fortune in China perhaps) - and then burst into tears, the emotion of the upset at the start of the race flowing from him.
In the wake of his pioneering swim came Ryan Cochrane, on a maiden voyage below 14:40 in a Canadian record of 14:39.63, the defending champion Oussama Mellouli (TUN) down but not out, on 14:40.31.
No Chinese man had ever won the crown, while Sun made history at the helm of the fastest 1500m field in Olympic history.
"I thought I was going to be disqualified," admitted Sun, who said he couldn't hear the starter properly over the crowd noise. "I didn't expect the false start and I was very worried about being disqualified."
"I have done well because I was in very good shape," he went on. "I really wanted this gold medal."
An elated Cochrane, who took the bronze in this event in Beijing, said he was happier at the end of this race than at any other time in his career. "It's nice that I could end my meet on a result where I know there was nothing else I could have left in the pool," he said. "There was no way I could have gone 31 today - I'm not saying it's not in myself to do that, but in that race today I was happy with my time."
As to whether he had been distracted by Sun's pre-race dip, he said, "No - it's a lot easier when you're not the one in the water - but I think I was pepared for anything at that point. They could have made us wait an hour and it wouldn't have mattered. no matter what, you're going to get in and swim. It comes with experience - maybe the first time around it would have been harder to deal with, but this time it was like, nothing's going to bother us!"
Mellouli will get another chance for gold when he races in the 10-kilometer open water event at Hyde Park.
More shortly.
London 2012
Beijing 2008:
Fastest field: 14:31.02 - 15:00.76 London 2012
Comparison fields:
To qualify for the final it took:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
What is multi-level marketing?
In general. also called network marketing, multi-level marketing is a form of knocking on doors and making calls to directly pitch a product to a customer.
(Read More:
From High Energy Clubs to Dashed Dreams: Herbalife Tales
From the website of the Direct Selling Association, the industry trade group:
Multilevel marketing, which is commonly referred to as MLM, is a type of compensation plan found in direct selling. A direct selling company that offers a multilevel compensation plan pays its representatives based on the individual's product sales as well as that of their "downline," which refers to a group of people that consultants bring into a company to generate sales, their recruits, and so on.
"Virtually every member of direct selling uses compensation not only for its own sales, but for the sales of people they bring into organization," says Joe Mariano, the group's president. "It's all based on sales to consumers and ultimate consumers—in-person, face-to-face, outside of the traditional retail environment." (Read More: Multi-Level Marketing Critic: Beware 'Main Street Bubble'.)
But not every company admits to being even a direct seller.
Tupperware, for example, no longer calls itself a direct sales company, instead using the term direct-to-consumer. The company didn't return calls from CNBC. But speaking to the Wall Street Journal, CEO Rick Goings said, "Direct selling left us, because the industry became dominate by buying clubs and what looked like pyramid schemes." (Read More: Why Spotting a Pyramid Scheme Isn't So Easy.)
And privately held Melaleuca, which is a member of the Direct Selling Association, goes out of its way to say it is not a multi-level marketer because its business model doesn't meet any state or federal criteria.
In his own blog early last year, CEO Frank Vandersloot wrote:
"Contrary to those who do not know us, our business model is nothing like Amway or Herbalife. I challenge anyone to find any similarity whatsoever." (Read More: Activist Investor Dan Loeb Takes 8% Stake in Herbalife.)


text:
There's a shortage of baby milk in the UK - here are the affected products
A nationwide shortage of baby milk has led to large supermarkets running out of stock of widely-used formulas.
Ready-made Cow & Gate and Aptamil formula milk are both in short supply due to "an issue with an ingredient used to prevent foaming".
The shortage has led to parents voicing their concern on social media.
What's the issue?
Speaking to the Sun, a spokesperson for Danone, explained the shortage.
They said that "as a result" of the ingredient shortage "these formulas did not consistently meet our standards, so we stopped sending out them out while we investigated and resolved the issue.
"Production has now re-started at our factory and we are sending out supplies to retailers."
They added: "We are working hard to get products back onto shelves as soon as possible."
Powdered versions of the formula are still available as it is only ready-made formula which has been impacted.
Cowgate and Aptamil apologised for the issue, writing: "We are currently experiencing low availability on our Ready to feed formula products.
"We fully appreciate that this is unsettling and frustrating for parents and we are very sorry for this."
How have parents reacted?
Musician Paloma Faith was among the concerned parents who raised awareness of the issue.
She told her social media followers that she had attempted to buy the formula "to no avail" adding "the search for Aptamil ready to drink continues…
One father explained that he had changed formulas but it was causing his baby to be sick.
He wrote: "We've switched to another brand for now but it makes him sick."
Mother, Marina Berry, told followers: "I can't get the Aptamil ready made milk anywhere and we are almost out of our supply.
"Please help - I don't want to change my son's milk brand now he's been on it for 8 months!"


text:
VG/PG Options: 80VG/20PG
Volume Options: 50ml
Nicotine Options: 0mg, 1.5mg, 3mg
Ice Mint Shortfill E-Liquid by TMB Notes is a chilly blend of mint and menthol, creating a frosty fusion that's sure to please. The mint in this shortfill e-liquid offers a sweet and refreshing taste, while the menthol adds a sub-zero kick, perfect for those hot summer days. The coolness of this e-liquid is not overpowering, but rather a mellow, fresh mint taste that leaves a long-lasting impression, making it a great choice for an all-day vape.
Brand: | TMB Notes | |
Type: | Shortfill | |
Range: | TMB Notes Shortfill | |
Collection: | TMB Notes Juiced Shortfills | |
Flavours: | Mint & Menthol, Ice & Cool | |
Tags: | Mint, Ice & Cool | |
Ships From: | United Kingdom |
In Stock
VG/PG Options: 80VG/20PG
Volume Options: 50ml
Nicotine Options: 0mg, 1.5mg, 3mg
The Ice Mint Shortfill E-Liquid by TMB Notes is available to shop on the IndeJuice store for only £7.50 or 3 for £9.99. This eLiquid has a blend of ice & cool and mint flavours, making it a part of the Ice & Cool and Mint & Menthol e-liquid flavour categories in our vape liquid store section.
This short fill vape juice comes in one bottle size; 50ml. However, each shortfill bottle has a larger capacity than the volume of the 0mg nicotine-free e-liquid to allow space for nicotine shots to be added. This enables you to reach your desired e-liquid nicotine strength for e-cigarettes.
The 50ml bottle has a total capacity of 60ml, allowing up to 3mg in strength. Nic shots (18mg) are included free with all shortfill purchases. You can also purchase nicotine shot products separately.
The TMB Notes Ice Mint E-Liquid Shortfill is available in 80/20 VG/PG (Vegetable Glycerin/Propylene Glycol). All high VG e-juice result in large vapour production and clouds on exhale. DTL (Direct-To-Lung) sub-ohm vaping is recommended for this VG/PG ratio of 80 VG/20 PG.
The TMB Notes Ice Mint Shortfill vape item has 16 customer reviews. That gives the Ice Mint flavour items a current average rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars.
Customers share a range of new e-liquid vape reviews every day, covering a mix of feedback points, including flavour profile, brand, taste quality, blend of e-liquid ingredients, choice of bottle size, nicotine strengths and price of the e-liquid bottles. All e-liquid reviews are then also used to rate the respective brands of the e-liquids.
Once this e-liquid is added to your shopping basket, this product is eligible for Free UK Delivery with IndePlus membership. No minimum order is required in your shopping cart or during checkout. Same-day dispatch on e-liquids is available for customer orders placed before the shipping deadline shown above.
Every customer account requires an email address & password. For new customers placing their first order, simply fill out the site sign up form (first name, DOB, email etc.) to create a new account.
If you have a question on e-liquids, you can find helpful answers in our vape guides or our FAQ section.


text:
I finally made the Sewing Workshop Trio pants and I love them!
Janis, on Stitcher's Guild, has sewn some beautiful pants from this pattern, so I was eager to try them. I traced off a size small, though, according to the Sewing Workshop measurement chart, my hips are between a medium and a large, and my waist is off the chart (larger than a XXL). I can often get away with a smaller pant size since my hips are small and I increase the waist, as necessary. I didn't have to fiddle with these pants.
My first pair, using a black ponte knit, fit well, but were a bit short. I am 5'5" and almost always have to shorten things, so these must run short. I left the pocket off this first pair.
My second pair are from a brown stretch woven. This time, I included the pocket. I finished the pocket with buttons from my grandmother's button basket.
I had to lighten this photo a bit to show the pants better. I am wearing these with my new t-shirt with the Marcy Tilton neckline.
Worn with my Sewing Workshop Now shirt.
Pocket detail.


text:
Atazanavir in pregnancy: 155 cases in London clinics
1 May 2011. Related: Conference reports, Antiretrovirals, Women's health, Pregnancy, BHIVA 17th Bournmouth 2011.
Polly Clayden, HIV i-Base
Atazanavir is increasingly used in pregnancy. There are limited data to guide this use.
In an oral presentation at the spring 2011 BHIVA meeting Miriam Samuel presented data from a retrospective case note review of atazanavir-exposed pregnancies at 12 London sites.
The review included 155 pregnancies in 145 women since December 2004.
The majority (118, 71.6%) of women were Black African and a small proportion were IDUs (5, 3.2%). Their median age was 32 years (1547), 6 were Hepatitis B and 2 Hepatitis C co-infected. Only 15 (9.7%) were diagnosed this pregnancy and 105 (68%) were receiving HAART when they conceived. Their median CD4 was 401 cells/mm3 (range151161 cells/mm3).
Over half (93, 60%) conceived while receiving ATV; 20% of the remainder changed from another drug and 20% started with ATV first line in pregnancy. Only 9% of women received AZT and 16% abacavir but 72% received tenofovir as part of their nucleoside backbone.
Overall, atazanavir was well tolerated with 98/155 (63.2%) reporting no side effects. The commonest side effect was nausea, which was reported by 53/155 (34.2%) of women. Only 3/155 (1.9%) of women discontinued ATV due to side effects.
Of 21 women who switched to atazanavir due to GI side effects from a previous regimen (20 PI based), symptoms improved in 19. One woman stopped atazanavir due to persistent nausea.
There was a low overall incidence of hepatotoxicity; 9 (5.8%) women developed G1-4 raised transaminase. Of these, 5 women switched to atazanavir with pre-existing hepatotoxicity,1 from nevirapine and 4 from lopinavir/r. LFTs resolved in 3 women and 2 had persistent hepatotoxicity and ATV was discontinued in both cases.
Of the 130 women with viral load data available, 104 (80%) had <50 copies/mL at delivery. As would be expected, of the subset that started atazanavir in pregnancy (n=25), the proportion with an undetectable viral load increased with time on treatment: 29% and 72% with <12 and >12 weeks of HAART respectively.
Of the 133 deliveries with data available, 64 (48%) were by elective caesarean, and half the remainder by vaginal delivery and the other half emergency caesarean (both 26%). Pre-term delivery <37 weeks occurred in 13/130 infants (10%).
The 94 infants with neonatal bilirubin measured had a median 71umol/L(range 3-258 umol/L). Three neonates had phototherapy; 1 polycythaemic (bilirubin 258 umol/L); 1 infant haemolytic anaemia (bilirubin 109 umol/L) and 1 no other cause (bilirubin 194 umol/L). There was 1 congenital cardiac abnormality.
There was only one transmission, reported to be in utero, to a mother with a history of poor adherence.
The investigators concluded from this case series (the largest to date) that atazanavir is well tolerated in pregnancy with low toxicity and discontinuation rates. This applied to women conceiving on atazanavir, starting in pregnancy or switching. The infant safety data are reassuring.
Data on atazanavir PK during pregnancy at the PK Workshop, from the IMPAACT investigators in the US, reported in this issue of HTB, suggest that the dose of ATV/r should be increased to 400/100mg during the third trimester and the same considered during the second. The dose used in this study was 300/100 mg for the majority of the 149/155 women who received ATV boosted.
Currently, in the UK, most caregivers of pregnant women stick to the standard dose and some use TDM. However in this cohort only 17 women had routine third trimester TDM and 11 because of elevated viral load, despite it being available (though some dont think it is evidence based or cost effective). Although the third trimester levels in patients on tenofovir might be of concern, these investigators do not report treatment failure.
In this study women who conceived on HAART did very well and did not loose virological control in the third trimester.
The 80% rate with <50 copies/mL at delivery among women initiating HAART in pregnancy improved with longer duration of treatment, as would be expected.
This case note review goes back to 2004, so a good proportion of women will have been treated prior to last years report emphasising the importance of earlier initiation of HAART in pregnancy at higher viral loads to ensure viral suppression and in turn greater choice over mode of delivery.
Samuel M et al. Atazanavir in pregnancy: a report of 155 cases. 17th Annual BHIVA Conference, 68 April 2011, Bournemouth. Oral abstract O25.


text:
Leonard Foujita (Leonard Foujita)
Painter. He was an art world superstar of the 1920s. In his prime Foujita was celebrated for his ivory-skinned nudes and portraits, created in a flat, decorative style that blended Western influences with visual traditions of his native Japan. Today his paintings of cats in their many moods are especially prized by collectors. He was born Tsuguharu Fujita in Tokyo, the son of an army physician, and graduated from the Imperial School of Fine Arts in 1910. In 1913 he persuaded his father to let him further his education in Paris, and he had his first solo exhibition there in 1917. He later said, "I became a man in Japan, and I became a painter in France". His signature style began to emerge after World War I, when he was hailed as a leader of the "School of Paris", a blanket name for foreign artists living and working in the French capital. Foujita would prepare a canvas with his own unique blend of white paint (he never divulged the formula) which gave it a porcelain-like texture, and then go over it with sparse, translucent color, often letting the supple line drawings beneath show through. Sometimes he restricted himself to a monochrome color scheme, giving his oils an ink-wash effect. The artist considered "My Room, Still Life with Alarm Clock" (1921) his breakthrough, and "Nude with a Jouy Fabric", a smash hit at the 1922 Salon d'Automne, made him an international celebrity. Other famous works of the period include "Reclining Nude with a Cat" (1921), "Youki, Goddess of Snow" (1924), "Before the Ball" (1925), "Two Friends" (1926), and several inscrutable self-portraits. In 1925 he was awarded France's Legion of Honor and Belgium's Order of Leopold, and by 1927 he had successfully exhibited in 11 countries. At this time he was also a noted Parisian bon vivant who knew everyone from Picasso and Isadora Duncan to Ernest Hemingway, and whose personal life made regular fodder for the gossip columns. (He was married four times, twice to French women). In 1930, income tax troubles and an extramarital affair set him off on a lengthy tour of the United States and Latin America, ending with his move back to Japan in 1933; in the interim he started painting in a more colorful, realistic manner. During World War II he turned out propagandistic war scenes, such as the mural "Last Stand at Attu" (1943), and was given the honorary rank of major general in the Imperial Japanese Army. This made him suspect after the Allied victory and controversy over his wartime activities still lingers in his homeland. Nevertheless he found work with the American occupying forces, and was able to leave for New York City in 1949. He settled in the village of Villiers-le-Bâcle, France in the early 1950s, becoming a French citizen in 1955. Many of his late paintings have religious themes, reflecting his conversion to Catholicism in 1959, while his cat pictures (which he considered something of a sideline) continued to sell well. He died at 81 in Zurich, Switzerland, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer, and was buried in the village cemetery near his home. Foujita's last major work was the construction of the Chapel of Our Lady Queen of Peace (1966) in Reims, for which he designed the Romanesque architecture as well as the interior and exterior decorations. He executed the wall frescoes himself over the Summer of 1966, despite his age and fading health. "I am building this chapel to atone for 80 years of sin", he said. Upon its completion he donated the property to the City of Reims. Now better known as the Foujita Chapel, it was declared an historic monument by the French government in 1992. In 2003 Foujita's ashes were reinterred here, as he had originally wished. (bio by: Bobb Edwards) Family links: Spouse: Joseph Vlcek (1892 – 1975)* *Calculated relationship
- November, 27, 1886
- January, 01, 1968
- Cimetière de Villiers-Le-Bacle
- France


text:
Advanced Search
Exam Reviews
The Data Warehouse exam challenges traditional notions of data management and pushes you to excel in your SQL 7.0 knowledge.
I suspect if you're considering this exam, you'll tackle it after trying at least one of the other two SQL Server exams, 70-028, System Administration, and 70-029, Implementing a Database Design. Those have been around longer and are required for the MCDBA certification. The data warehousing exam is an elective.
Still, the knowledge you gain in preparing yourself for those tests will stand you in good stead for this one too. For instance, for the SQL Admin exam, you need to understand filegroups and how they can be used to affect SQL performance, backup and recovery strategies, and roles and ways of implementing security.
Tip: I recommend this exam for MCDBAs. You'll find that it builds on your work from the two required SQL exams while providing a unique perspective.
When studying for the other tests, make sure to include the topic of replication. The actual details of replication aren't as important as the knowledge of the different types of replication and when each should be applied.
Title: Designing and Implementing Data Warehouses with Microsoft SQL Server 7.0
Number of questions in reviewed version of exam: 100 in the beta; about half that on actual exam.
Time allowed: 3 hours for beta; expect around 90 minutes for live exam.
Current Status: Live exam expected in December.
Who should take it? Counts as elective credit toward MCSE, MCSD, and MCDBA.
What classes prepare you? Course 1502—Designing and Implementing a Data Warehouse with SQL Server; 5 days, instructor-led.
Analyzing Business Requirements
Many of the questions on this exam are wordy. Easily a fifth of the skills it measures begin with the word "analyze," so perhaps that should be expected. Each question is independent of previous questions. Don't get me wrong. This exam isn't like 70-100, the MCSD core Analyzing Requirements test, where you might be required to read a single long case study before answering a dozen questions pertaining to that business situation. Portions of the questions, however, often are repeated.
For example, a typical question begins by describing the computing environment for some fictional company, let's say, Pizza, Inc. Perhaps most of the Pizza, Inc. employees are travelers who carry laptops and connect to the company network once or twice a day, or maybe the company has five locations connected by T1 lines. Pizza, Inc. needs a data warehouse or a data mart or some type of OLAP solution. A paragraph of supporting details describes that need. Related requirements could include a high need for security or for speedy user access. In addition, Pizza, Inc. may have some problems or restrictions, such as a narrow timeframe for loading data into the data warehouse or an inability to upgrade the network hardware.
The exam offers a proposed solution; you'll need to check off which requirements were met. You should select all that apply even if that means every requirement listed.
The description of the company environment and the company's needs may be exactly the same for the next several questions. In this case, the proposed solution will be different and will meet a different set of requirements.
Don't be confused by this—read the questions carefully to make sure requirements really are the same. As much as this exam tests your knowledge of data warehousing principles and techniques, it also checks your reading comprehension and ability to analyze.
Tip: Don't assume that the solution doesn't meet the requirements just because it's not an OLAP solution. Sometimes the suggested solution uses standard T-SQL rather than a cube or pivot table.
The key to these questions is knowing what the trade-offs are for any solution. Not only do you need to know the types of replication, but also when one type is better than another. When is MOLAP better than ROLAP? Is it faster? Is it more secure? Does it use fewer resources? Is it easier to implement? Is it more likely to guarantee database consistency?
Most of these questions have more to do with data warehousing than with SQL Server. You might come across questions about relational databases or OLAP products in general that aren't specific to Microsoft's implementation of them in SQL 7.0. That's because SQL Server isn't the only relational database these questions can apply to, nor is it the only OLAP tool out there.
Tip: Other OLAP tools may not give you the flexibility that SQL Server does to choose your OLAP architecture (MOLAP, ROLAP, or HOLAP) or to change it, but the benefits and disadvantages of one architecture over another are the same no matter whose implementation it is.
SQL Server 7.0 Database Implementation
Although it's handy to know the difference between various types of normalized forms, it's even more important to clearly understand the differences among schemas: normalized, de-normalized, star, and snowflake (see "Database Theory"). Each is appropriate in certain situations, so you need to know what those situations are.
Microsoft's MCP Web site lists about 50 or so specific skills measured by exam 70-019. Of these, three specifically mention SQL statements. Make sure you understand the types of statements that are frequently used in OLAP applications, such as SELECT statements that aggregate data with the COMPUTE BY or ROLLUP operators. It isn't enough to know that SQL has this pseudo-OLAP functionality; to ace these questions, you need to know the exact syntax. If you passed the Implementing a Database Design exam, you should have no problem with this part of the test.
Actually, if you passed Implementing Databases for SQL 6.x.—SQL is SQL—you should have no problem with this part. One surprise to me was the dearth of coverage on Multidimensional Extensions to SQL (MDX), which are new with SQL 7.0. Although MDX isn't explicitly mentioned by the exam guidelines as a skill measured by this exam, I "read into" some of the other skills listed. After all, MDX is definitely within the topic of data warehousing, and it's a significant topic in course 1502, which is recommended as preparation for this exam.
You should know how to use the following methods to connect to and manipulate a data source:
And it's not enough for you to have a theoretical knowledge of how to connect to a database, such as understanding the relationship between OLE DB and ADO. You also need to know the exact syntax. That knowledge can't really be tested with just the language of SQL Server, T-SQL; it requires Visual Basic. In spite of VB's ubiquity in the Microsoft world in general, I was taken aback by the strong presence of VB code on the exam. After all, VB doesn't get listed as one of the measured skills or as a prerequisite. In many organizations, developers are either "front-room," specializing in VB, or "back-room," specializing in SQL Server. I'd advise you to review VB programming before going to the test center. Be prepared to evaluate brief code snippets of 10 or 12 lines and figure out whether or not they'll connect you to and allow you to manipulate a data source.
Tip: Be familiar with the object hierarchies for the APIs listed above. For example, which of the above APIs includes the object cellset? What object is the parent of cellset? Which APIs listed above have the connection object? If you can't answer these types of questions, you have more studying to do.
For the exam, you should also be familiar with the object hierarchy for OLAP Services, also known as Decision Support Objects or simply DSO.
As with most Microsoft exams, hands-on experience is the best teacher. If you currently have an OLTP database, create one or more star schema from that database and an OLAP cube from those schema. Or use the sample PUBS database that comes with SQL Server. If you create only sample OLAP applications, however, you may overlook performance, which is often an issue with OLAP applications. Make sure you know how to optimize query and data loading speeds, a central issue. Here are some techniques that can be used to optimize speed:
For the exam's design aspects, be familiar with SQL 7.0's data diagramming tool. I don't necessarily mean simply how to use it, but rather how to read the diagrams and what they mean.
Data warehousing has been a popular topic in the IT trade press for some time, and there's a reason. I would recommend this exam for anyone with the title of SQL Server DBA or SQL Server developer, regardless of whether you're implementing data warehouses. In fact, I probably would recommend it more for those who don't have OLAP experience. Studying and preparing will give those with experience only with OLTP systems a new perspective on the rules for good design.
More TechLibrary
More Webcasts


text:
Giamatti hadn't worked with Cronenberg before, but he was excited to hear that someone was adapting one of Don DeLillo's novels. The script, with its single very long scene for his character, won him over completely.
"I thought the script was just bonkers," he says. "And then the part was really interesting. And then it's also 20 minutes long. That doesn't come along very often."
Giamatti plays Benno Levin, a deranged man whose encounter with the Wall Street financier played by Robert Pattinson constitutes the final act of Cronenberg's new movie. It was Giamatti's first encounter with the vampire heartthrob.
"I've never seen the Twilight movies," he admits. "I knew who he was but only vaguely. I didn't even know he was English. When I walked in he was just a guy who was really good and knew what he was doing. He was so ready and in command of it he helped me. It calmed me down and pulled me in."
He shot the pivotal scene while making another movie, flying from Miami to Toronto and back again. "I was thinking about it a lot on my own while I was doing that other movie," he says, "and fortunately that other movie was not that demanding on me so I had time. I felt prepared."
Full interview at the source


text:
- Product Description
The Proline insole is included in all Watts nursing shoes, but Watts shoes offers a range of 4 insoles with different features.
Do you need an extra comfort or a perfect fitting of your feet? Every foot is different and some people need an extra support to wear the perfect shoe.
You can choose for one of the following kind of insoles for Watts nursing shoes:
- Topline: Keep your feet fresh with this topline insole that absorbs the maximum moisture. This is the perfect insole for those who suffer sweaty feet.
- Supportplus: his insole helps to fitting better your foot into the Watts shoes. This is the perfect insole for those who need to fill up the shoe.
- Proline: The Proline insole is the standard insole included
- Specially designed for those who want an extra support. This is the perfect insole for those who tend to lack support under your foot arch.
- Fitplus: If you have a skinny foot, t
- in each pair of Watts shoes. Do you need an extra pair?
- Additional Info
Additional Information
Manufacturer Watts SKU WIYSP Color Various Colors Weight No - Reviews
Write Your Own Review


text:
History and Government
The Protestant Reformed Churches in America are a denomination of 31 churches and over 7800 members in the United States and Canada. Founded as a separate denomination of Reformed churches in 1924, the PRC stand in the tradition of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Their origin as a denomination was the doctrinal controversy over "common grace" within the Christian Reformed Church in the early 1920s, occasioned by that church's adoption of the doctrine of common grace as official church dogma. The result of the controversy was that several ministers with their congregations were put out of the Christian Reformed Church. These men then established the Protestant Reformed Churches (PRC) on the basis of the truth of God's sovereign, particular grace in Jesus Christ as taught in Scripture.
Foremost among the founders of the PRC was Herman Hoeksema (1886-1965), long-time pastor in the First Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, MI; prolific author; professor of theology at the Protestant Reformed Seminary for 40 years; and outstanding theologian. In his book, A Half Century of Theology (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1977), the well-known Dutch theologian G.C. Berkouwer, acknowledged that "the unquestionably sharp theological thought of the American theologian Herman Hoeksema played an important role" in his theological development. In fact, Berkouwer chose Hoeksema as his "dialogue partner" (p. 98). The "dialogue," however, was profound disagreement, particularly Berkouwer's disagreement with Hoeksema's staunch adherence to the Reformed doctrine of predestination.
Congregations are located throughout the United States, especially in the Midwest but also extending to Colorado, California, and Washington state in the west. Additionally, we have three congregations in Canada, two in Alberta, Canada (Edmonton and Lacombe) and one in Ontario (Wingham).
Holding the Presbyterian form of church government, the denomination is organized in two classes, Classis East and Classis West (the eastern border of Illinois being the boundary), which meet two or three times a year, and in a Synod, which meets annually in June. Without detracting from the principle of the binding authority of the major assemblies, the Protestant Reformed churches emphasize that each congregation is self-governing by a body of elders chosen out of the congregation (the "autonomy of the local congregation"). Hence, the name of the denomination -- not "Church" (singular), but "Churches" (plural).
The churches endured a severe, internal, doctrinal controversy in the early 1950s in defense of the unconditionality of the covenant of grace (sovereign, particular grace applied to the covenant). As a result of this struggle, the denomination was reduced in size. However, at the present time there is stability and steady growth, lovely activity, and peace for these churches.
For more on PRC history, visit our Archives page
Missions and Contact
The Protestant Reformed Churches are active in missions both domestically and abroad (Click here to go to our Missions page.) Besides, each congregation is engaged in evangelism work locally through its Evangelism committees and societies.
In the words of the "Constitution" of their denominational mission committee, these churches "believe that, in obedience to the command of Christ, the King of the church, to preach the blessed Gospel to all creatures...it is the explicit duty and sacred privilege of said churches to carry out this calling." The foreign mission committee regulates the churches' work abroad. In addition to mission endeavors in the Eastern and Western United States, the PRC have been working in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. Our sister church there, Covenant Protestant Reformed Church in Ballymena, N.Ireland, is very active in bringing the gospel of sovereign grace near and far, also carrying on a work in Limerick in the Republic of Ireland.
In the recent past, the churches have engaged in foreign missions in Singapore with the mainly Chinese inhabitants of that nation. The fruit has been the organization of a sister congregation -- the Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore. More recently we have carried on work in the Philippines (Manila and beyond) to the point that a congregation has been formed there - the Berean Protestant Reformed Church.
Confessing "that it is their sacred duty to manifest the true unity and catholicity of the Church on earth in as far as that is possible, not only in their denominational fellowship but also in conjunction with all churches which have obtained like precious faith with us, both domestic and foreign," these churches have a denominational "Committee for Contact with Other Churches." In recent years, they have either established contact, or explored the possibility of contact, with churches in the British Isles, Germany, Singapore, and Australia.
Beliefs and Practices
The PRC have as their creeds the "Three Forms of Unity" -- the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic confession, and the Canons of Dordt. The churches require that all officebearers subscribe to these Reformed confessions. The PRC confess and proclaim the doctrines of double predestination; limited, effectual atonement; total depravity; irresistible grace; and the perseverance of saints, as fundamental truths of the gospel of grace.
By their rejection of "common grace," they mean especially to deny that God is gracious in the preaching of the gospel to all who hear the external proclamation, holding that, although the gospel ought to be preached to all and although all ought to be confronted with the command to repent and believe, God is gracious in the preaching to the elect alone ("particular grace").
The biblical doctrine of the covenant is precious to these churches. They regard it as a truth that is central in Scripture and basic to the Reformed faith, even as it is fundamental to the life of the Reformed believer. The doctrine has been developed in the PRC. They conceive it, not as a contract mutually agreed upon by God and men and dependent upon the fulfillment of stipulated conditions by two parties, but as a living relationship of friendship between God in Christ and the elect church, established and maintained by the sovereign grace of God alone. They deny that faith is a condition to the covenant, holding rather that faith, the "gift of God' (Ephesians 2:8), is the means by which God realizes His covenant, as well as the means by which the elect enjoy the covenant and willingly carry out their part in the covenant.
Among the practical implications of this covenant view, in the thinking of the PRC, is the calling of the church to promote and defend marriage, the earthly symbol of the covenant between Christ and the Church (cf. Ephesians 5:22ff.), as a life-long unbreakable bond - broken and dissolved only by God in death. On this basis, the church should, and can, oppose the evil of divorce and remarriage in her communion -- an evil that devastates Protestant churches today, angers God, and disgusts godly men and women. Thus also, the family is safeguarded for the sake of the godly rearing of the children, who are included in the covenant (Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 19:3-15).
Members of the PRC believe that good, Christian schools are a demand of the covenant. They, therefore, have established a number of Christian grade schools and high schools, maintaining them with no small amount of sacrifice (for a listing of these schools, go here). In areas where their own schools are not possible, parents use the existing Christian schools or home school their covenant children. Young people are encouraged to attend Christian colleges. [For additional reading in this area, go here.]
In their public worship on the Sabbath, these churches sing the 150 Psalms (with organ and piano accompaniment), along with a few other "hymns and spiritual songs", in keeping with article 69 of the Church Order adopted for the Reformed Churches by the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619). They use the King James Version of Holy Scripture, judging it to be the best English translation available, especially as regards the crucial matter of faithfulness to the inspired original.
The PRC note with alarm, if not horror, the widespread abandonment of the doctrine of the inerrant inspiration of Scripture by Reformed churches both in the United States and in Europe; the openness of reformed churches to the charismatic movement; the involvement of Reformed churches in ecumenicity that allies them with churches which are hostile to the distinctively Reformed doctrines, with churches which are theologically "liberal" (churches in the National and World Councils of Churches), and even Rome; and the sheer worldliness of life now tolerated, and in some cases promoted, by Reformed churches, contrary to what the Reformed churches once exhorted as the "antithesis" --the spiritual separation from the world of a holy life. (This last evil is what Francis A. Schaeffer deplored as the evangelical churches' "accommodation" to the world, in his The Great Evangelical Disaster.)
Not a whit less serious to the PRC is the threat of Arminianism. Despite the rejection of Arminianism as false doctrine by the Synod of Dordt, and the condemnation of it by the Westminster Standards, it makes deep inroads into the Reformed churches in the popular doctrines of a universal love of God for sinners revealed in the Gospel; of a death of Jesus for all men without exception, with appeal to John 3:16;and the dependency of God in salvation upon the decision of the sinner ("free will"). If free will is not openly espoused, all too often there is deep silence in the churches' preaching and confession with regard to predestination (election and reprobation) and the other doctrines of sovereign grace. The PRC believe themselves called, as a denomination of Reformed churches, stoutly to defend and enthusiastically to proclaim the historic, creedal, and distinctive doctrines of "Calvinism." They rejoice whenever they see men and women standing, not alone for "conservatism," but for the faith set down in the Canons of Dordt and in the Westminster Confession.
Institutions and Publications
The churches maintain a seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the training of men for the ministry. Three full-time professors give a complete course in all the branches of theology. Although the seminary has as its main purpose the preparation of men for the pastorate in the PRC and its mission endeavors, others from various churches are encouraged to enroll. The instruction is uncompromisingly and unashamedly Reformed according to the confessions. It aims at producing preachers and pastors for the Reformed churches, the greatest need in the world, as our Lord Himself told us (Matthew 9:37-38). A catalogue is available from the seminary at 4949 Ivanrest Ave., Wyoming, MI 49418 USA. You will also find it online here.
Solid Reformed books on various doctrinal and practical subjects written chiefly by Protestant Reformed writers are published by the Reformed Free Publishing Association.
For a listing of these titles visit their website, or for more information write to:
You may also find these complete Reformed books online (including some in Spanish) at this page.
Various local evangelism committees publish tracts and booklets on the Reformed faith and life. Information on this literature can be obtained from this page, or by writing to:
Although it is not an official publication of the churches, The Standard Bearer, a semi-monthly magazine, is recognized as the voice of the PRC. The address of the business office is
Sample copies of the magazine are available upon request without charge. Sample Issues are also available online. Click on the image above to go to access these.
There is a monthly magazine for Young People - Beacon Lights. Click on the image below to visit its website and see sample copies.
The Protestant Reformed Teachers' Institute publishes a quarterly magazine, Perspectives in Covenant Education. Visit their website and view past issues of the Perspectives (Currently being redone - check back later.).
Editorial office:
For more information on the PRC, write:
Liturgy, Church Order, Declaration of Principles and Directory
- Liturgy
- Church Order
- Declaration of Principles (Lecture on the document by Prof. David Engelsma)
- Directory of Protestant Reformed Churches
- Book: "The Confessions and Church Order of the Protestant Reformed Churches"


text:
We have just completed an amazing set of days with the Dalai Lama present here in Atlanta. His reason for being here was to be installed at my alma mater, Emory University, as Distinguised Professor. But either side of the installation were sginificant opportunities for teaching to a wider audience.
On Saturday, the Dalai Lama "chaired" a conference of the Mind Life Institute, this session focusing on the treatment of depression through meditation. There were scientists and physicians present to offer insights and research into the physiological effects of meditation. Our spiritual director at the Loseling Institute offered some timely results from a study of the introduction of "compassion" meditation to Emory students. The conference began at 9:30 and ended at 4...a long but stimulating day.
On Sunday morning, there was a presentation by the Loseling Institute, with chants, highlighted by the Dalai Lama's teaching on an introduction to Buddhism. The event was packed with several thousand people.
Sunday afternoon offered an interfaith dialogue with well-known Jewish, Christian, and Muslim practitioners of contemplative prayer. Most notable was the Dalai Lama's strong admonition of openess and valuing of other's traditions.
The evening was filled with celebratory dinners and festivities.
Monday was the actual installation at the college. The Dalai Lama left the school to go to new facility of Loseling. I feel most fortunate to be at that "blessing" with just a few of the members of Loseling. He was amazingly casual in his conversation with us, displaying his well known sense of humor and self-deprecation. The phrase that resounds in my mind is how many times he said "I'm no expert" and then laughed. A great incarnational lesson.
And finally, on Monday afternoon, Emory offered a public gathering in Centenial Park in downtown Atlanta. Traditional Tibetan music, chants and dance by the Loseling monks, plus a little jazz filled the moments before His Holiness arrived. In spite of threatening weather with a constant mist, the park was packed with a mixed group of folks, a lot of them obvious high school or college kids. John Lewis, the former assistant of MLK Jr. and now congressman from Ga., made a powerful connection with the spiritual lineage of human rights shared by Ghandi, Tutu, Mandela, MLK, and of course HH Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama spoke about the education of the heart and the mind, what the West can learn from the East, and what the East can learn from the West. He spoke of the folly of war and received loud affirmation from the crowd. A question that came from a teenager by email in a local suburb of Atlanta asked what he should say to his friends that tell him that he was going to hell because he was attending this gathering, the Dalai Lama refused to be hooked, and used the question as an occasion to speak to valuing other religious teachings. It was a powerful gathering of the people of Atlanta and left me with some renewed sense of hope about my hometown
I wanted to share this experience with you. Tonight with return to normal with a teaching at our new center. I feel grateful to have had this exposure to the Dalai Lama at this moment in my pilgrimage.
David aka PapaDoc


text:
Lawyer: 'Ruthless' execs ignored red flags before Jackson's death
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- AEG Live's lawyer warned jurors that "we're going to show some ugly stuff" as he began the defense's opening statement in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial Monday.
The concert promoter has no choice to reveal Jackson's "deepest, darkest secret" because the company must defend itself from the accusation from Jackson's family that it is responsible for the pop icon's death, Marvin Putnam said.
Before Putnam began, a Jackson lawyer played for the jury a sentimental song Jackson wrote and recorded for his three children titled "You Are My Life."
"You are the sun, you make me shine more like the stars that twinkle at night,
You are the moon that glows in my heart,
You're my day time, my nighttime,
My world. You are my life."
Katherine Jackson, his mother, wiped tears from her face as her late son's soft voice filled the small courtroom.
And so begins what promises to be three months of dramatic revelations and legal fireworks in a trial that could last several months. With opening statements delivered, the Jackson's call their first witness Tuesday morning -- Orlando Martinez, the Los Angeles Police detective who investigated Jackson's death.
AEG Live executives are "ruthless guys" who ignored Michael Jackson's health problems and his doctor's ethical conflicts, which led to the pop icon's death, a Jackson family lawyer argued Monday.
Jurors earning $15 a day will decide whether one of the world's largest entertainment companies should pay Jackson's mother and three children billions of dollars for its liability in the pop icon's death.
Randy and Rebbie Jackson, Michael's siblings, were with their mother in the front row, just a few feet away from jurors.
"There will be no question in your mind that they were ruthless and they wanted to be No. 1 at all cost," Jackson lawyer Brian Panish said.
AEG executives knew that Jackson was emotionally and physically weak, Panish told jurors.
Jackson was in an "obvious sharp decline" in the weeks after Murray began working as his personal doctor while he prepared for his comeback concerts.
Another warning sign should have been that Murray asked for $5 million for the job and eventually agreed on $150,000 a month, Panish said. Another doctor had told AEG he would do the job for $40,000 a month as long as Jackson was "clean," meaning not on drugs, he said.
Panish played for the jury a video of an AEG expert who agreed that Murray's pay demand was "outrageous."
"That raised red flag because it was an enormous sum of money," defense expert Marty Hom said.
"AEG ignored the obvious red flags, and they hired Dr. Murray," Panish said.
Later in the trial, jurors will hear Michael's oldest son and daughter describe their father's last days. But they will also endure weeks of testimony from medical and financial experts offering opinions about the singer's health, addiction and career.
Only 16 journalists and a few members of the public will be allowed inside the courtroom because many of its 45 seats are reserved for parties involved in the trial, including the Jackson family. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos denied CNN's request to televise the trial.
The central issue
The central issue is simple: Did AEG Live, the company promoting Jackson's comeback concerts in 2009, hire or supervise Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's June 25, 2009, death?
Jackson died two weeks before his "This Is It" comeback concerts, organized by AEG Live, were to have debuted in London. The coroner ruled Jackson died from a fatal combination of sedatives and propofol, a surgical anesthetic that Murray told investigators he used to put Jackson to sleep almost every night in the month before his death.
The Jacksons argue that AEG executives knew about the star's weakened health and his past use of dangerous drugs while on tour. They're liable in his death because they pressured Jackson and the doctor to meet their ambitious schedule to prepare for the London shows despite that knowledge, their lawyers contend.
A cornerstone of their case is an e-mail AEG Live Co-CEO Paul Gongaware wrote 11 days before Jackson's death. The e-mail to show director Kenny Ortega addressed concerns that Murray had kept Jackson from a rehearsal the day before: "We want to remind (Murray) that it is AEG, not MJ, who is paying his salary. We want to remind him what is expected of him."
Jackson lawyers argue the e-mail is evidence that AEG Live used Murray's fear of losing his lucrative job as Jackson's personal physician to pressure him to have Jackson ready for rehearsals despite his fragile health.
Gongaware, in a video deposition played in court Monday, said he could not remember writing the e-mail, which the Jackson lawyers call the "smoking gun" in their case.
"They put Dr. Murray in a position where if he said Michael can't go or can't play, if he said I can't give you those drugs, then he doesn't get paid," Panish told jurors Monday.
Gongaware, who managed two of Jackson's tours in the 1990s, knew that Jackson relied on addictive opiates during his concert tours, Panish said.
He played a video of one doctor who said he warned Gongaware about it in 1993.
"We felt that we needed to an intervention," Dr. Stuart Finkelstein said. "We needed to do detox."
AEG's lawyer argued Monday that Gongaware and other AEG executives had no way of knowing about Jackson's use of propofol to sleep.
"AEG knew nothing about this decade-long propofol use," Putnam said. "They were a concert promoter. How could they know?"
He promised that Jackson's ex-wife and mother of his two oldest children, Debbie Rowe, will testify that she assisted in administering propofol to Jackson in the 1990s when she was a nurse.
She saw several doctors put Mr. Jackson to sleep in hotel rooms while on tour," he said, including in Munich, London, Paris.
"The truth is Mr. Jackson fooled everyone," Putnam said about Jackson's porpofol use. "He kept those who might have helped him at a distance and no one knew his deepest, darkest secret."
Jackson's ability to keep his private side private meant AEG could not see any red flags warning of Jackson's destruction, Putnam said.
"They didn't see this coming," he said. "They had no idea."
Putnam said Jackson family members will testify about their failed attempts at intervention and their lack of knowledge about what was happening.
"If they didn't know what was going on, how could someone else think there was even a problem," he said.
AEG contends that Jackson was responsible for his own demise, that he chose Murray to be his full-time doctor and that his drug addiction led him to a series of fatal choices.
"This case is about personal choices," Putnam said. "People have responsibility for their personal choices. It was not a tragedy of AEG Live's making."
Murray was never an AEG employee but rather was chosen and paid by Jackson for nearly four years until Jackson died, AEG lawyers contend.
"AEG Live never paid Dr. Murray anything, ever," Putnam said.
He played a snippet from Murray's interview with Martinez two days after Jackson's death.
"I am an employee for Michael Jackson but paid through AEG," Murray told police.
Jackson, not AEG chose Murray, he said.
Child molestation accusations against Jackson, for which he was acquitted after a trial, are relevant because they resulted in an increase in his drug use, Putnam said.
He focused on Jackson's doctor shopping for drugs, displaying a chart of 40 doctors and nurses who Jackson sought drugs from.
Jackson's family seeks billions
Just before Monday's session began, the judge issued a series of rulings that will allow Jackson expert witnesses to testify but limit some of their opinions.
The lawsuit seeks a judgment against AEG Live equal to the money Jackson would have earned over the course of his remaining lifetime if he had not died in 2009. Jackson lawyers denied media reports that they were seeking $40 billion in damages if AEG Live is found liable, but it could cost the company several billion dollars, according to estimates of Jackson's income potential.
AEG Live is a subsidiary of AEG, a global entertainment company that was up for sale recently with an $8 billion asking price.
Palazuelos reversed an earlier tentative decision Monday that would have limited the amount of damages the Jacksons could argue AEG should pay if found liable in the singer's death. The decision raises the potential damages by about $1 billion.
One of the Jacksons' experts, certified pubic accountant Arthur Erk, estimated that Michael Jackson could have earned $1.4 billion by taking his "This Is It" tour around the world for 260 shows. AEG executives discussed extending the tour beyond the 50 shows scheduled for London, Jackson lawyers said.
Jackson lawyer Perry Sanders, in arguing for the judge to allow Erk's testimony, said when "This Is It" tickets went on sale in March 2009, there was the "highest demand to see anyone in the history of the world. No one has ever come close."
"There was so much demand, they filled 2 million seats in hours," Sanders said, quoting an e-mail from AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips sent to AEG's owner.
"We would have had to do 100-plus shows to fill the demand" in London, he said Phillips wrote. Jackson could have packed the Tokyo Dome several times in a world tour, he said.
But AEG lawyer Sabrina Strong called it "very speculative" that Jackson would have even finished the 50 London shows before dying.
AEG lawyers argued that Jackson didn't perform 260 shows and make that much money even in his prime. "He never came anywhere close to that," Strong said. "No one other than Cher has ever done that."
Erk also calculated Jackson would have followed with four more world tours before he turned 65.
Palazuelos weighed in during a hearing on Thursday, noting that the Rolling Stones are still touring into their 70s.
The Jacksons will also try to convince jurors that he would have made a fortune off of a long series of Las Vegas shows, endorsements, a clothing line and movies.
Strong argued that Jackson had a history of failed projects and missed opportunities, calling Erk's projections "a hope, a dream, and not a basis for damages."
Erk, under the new ruling, will be able to tell jurors about the "loss of earning capacity" suffered by the family because of Jackson's death. This means the jury can consider the Jackson argument that he could have earned millions with a clothing line, endorsements and movies. The expert's estimate that Jackson would have completed five world tours before he was 65, if he had lived, can also be considered.
AEG can argue, however, that Jackson's past failures diminished the potential earnings.
None of the Jackson experts can offer an opinion on the question of whether Murray was hired by AEG.
The witness lists include many members of the Jackson family, including Katherine Jackson. Other celebrity witnesses on the list are Sharon Osbourne, Quincy Jones, Spike Lee, Ray Parker Jr., Lisa Marie Presley, Diana Ross and Lou Ferrigno.


text:
Prosecutor: School stabber used two "ordinary kitchen knives"
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The district attorney says a 16-year-old charged with stabbing 21 other students and a security officer at his Pittsburgh-area high school used two "ordinary kitchen knives."
Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck called the weapons "common items you'd find in a kitchen."
However, he stopped short of saying that the suspect, Alex Hribal, took them from his home.
Peck says he doubts anyone other than Hribal will be held criminally responsible for bringing the knives to Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville on Wednesday.
The prosecutor says the knives weren't designed to be weapons, and didn't need to be stored in any particular way under the law.
Hribal is being held without bail in a juvenile detention center, though he's charged as an adult with attempted homicide and aggravated assault.


text:
Rainbow Beach Tourist Centre
6 Rainbow Beach Road Shop 3 Rainbow Beach Australia
Rainbow Beach Tourist Information Centre is located right in the centre of town next to the Chemist and is open seven days a week from 7am to 5pm and offers a one stop shop for information including maps and brochures, and of course souvenirs! Owned by the knowledgeable Sam and Maureen Mitchell for over 30 years, the Rainbow Beach Information Centre can provide advice on the things to see, things to do, where to eat and where to stay. Talk to the friendly staff about your travel plans or to make a booking including half day tours to Cooloola National Park and Coloured Sands and to book your one, two or three day tours to Fraser Island. They are also agents for National Parks so you can purchase your camping and driving permits in store. Tide times and local beach driving information is friendly and free. Incorporating the 7th Wave Surf Shop it has shopping for all your holidays needs from thongs, hats, sunglasses, towels, sunscreen and insect repellent to swimsuits and surf wear for all the family.


text:
It's not exactly a surprise that Kanye West is Kim Kardashian's biggest fan. The 36-year-old musician sang his fiancée's praises during an On Air With Ryan Seacrest radio interview on Tuesday, Oct. 29. In fact, he's lobbying to get the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star her first Vogue cover.
"There's no way Kim Kardashian shouldn't be on the cover of Vogue. She's like the most intriguing woman right now. She's got Barbara Walters calling her like everyday," he said, noting that reality stars have often been overlooked by mainstream fashion magazines. "And collectively, we're the most influential with clothing. No one is looking at what [Barack Obama] is wearing. Michelle Obama cannot Instagram a [bikini] pic like what my girl Instagrammed the other day."
When his girl landed the cover of CR Fashion Book, West saw it as a transcendent moment. "[Former French Vogue editor] Carine Roitfeld supports my girl. That's a breakthrough," he explained. "There's a wall of classism that we are breaking through."
West said it's not his intention to be controversial. "That's not my concern," he shared. "My concern is doing God's work and he'll work everything else out."
During his lengthy chat with Ryan Seacrest, the hip-hop heavyweight shared new details about his recent proposal and upcoming wedding. "The ring was four-hours-old from when I put it on her finger," he says of the 15-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond. "I had to pick it up in L.A. I was working on it for a while. I was working on it with four different jewelers. I just put it in my bag."
"I was nervous. I was talking to her cousin. I was like, 'I don't know, what do you think she's going to say?' I'm not arrogant about love and feelings at all. I'm confident in the work I put so much work in to but this is someone else's feelings. You never know what someone else may feel at the time," he continued. "I just knew I wanted her to be my girl for a long time. I remember I saw a picture of her and Paris Hilton, and I remember telling my boy, 'Have you seen that girl Kim Kar-dijon?'"
Though he received Kris Jenner's blessing prior to popping the question, he kept his plans a secret from the rest of Kardashian's friends and family.
"Everybody that came in just thought it was a surprise party…As soon [Kim] heard the [Lana Del Ray] song playing, she just figured I was going to have Lana sing and we were going to have dinner. Because at a certain point she just knows I'm going to do something turnt up," he recalled. "So she was expecting something awesome. The guy who organized it was talking about this romantic lighting and I was like, 'Enough already! We're at a baseball field. It has to be fully lit!' That was one of the things that was making me really mad. I was like, 'Let me do it like how I would do it.'"
Kardashian, of course, said yes to West's proposal. The Grammy winner plans to be heavily involved in the wedding planning process. "I want to pick who is going to be in charge," he said. "I'd like to get the people who do the Chanel shows."
Whether he's proposing or performing, everything West does is a spectacle. And that's exactly how he wants it.
"When you say stuff like, 'I'm a creative genius', everyone looks at you like you're crazy. So I'm like, 'Okay, I'm about to turn up. I'm going to turn up on this engagement. I'm going to turn up on this show. I'm going to turn up on this merch we just did with this pop up store on Melrose.' I just had to turn up completely because I've been trying to create outside of the box of being a musician," he said. "And I've talked to people who would have the power to allow me to go to the next level and they just look at you like you're crazy or they just try to put you in like a music box, and at what point do you see something and say, 'Yo, he really might be like Walt Disney. He really might be that creative and not just a rapper.'"


text:
Not a member of Pastebin yet?
Sign Up,
it unlocks many cool features!
- Brookfield property group has informed Occupy Wall Street of their intent to "clean" Liberty Square, our home and community. OWS views this as an attempt to evict over 500 peaceful and nonviolent protesters form Liberty Square, a tactic used to evict occupations in Austin, TX, Barcelona, Spain, and Bloombergville, NY.
- OWS is a highly organized community with a sanitation working group that works tirelessly to keep our plaza clean. In a show of good will, OWS organized a full day of cleaning on Thursday, 13 October 2011 in response to Brookfield's concerns.
- We have no intention of leaving our park. We have spent weeks building a strong community of mutual aid and empowerment. The city government has brutalized and intimidated us and the media has attempted to censor and belittle our message. Despite these challenges, our message has been heard by millions around the world, and they are taking up the call to action by occupying spaces in their communities and opening them up to practice direct, horizontal, non-hierarchical democracy.
- OWS invites Brookfield property group to re-clean Liberty Plaza in 1/3 increments starting at 7am as they have proposed. We will maintain physical presence in two thirds of our plaza at all times while they re-clean.
- The possibility of eviction doesn't simply threaten the immediate occupiers of Liberty Square. As a symbolic home to the growing movement against global injustice, any attempt to evict Liberty Square will be met with strong resistance by occupiers, community groups, local unions and organized labor, as well as individual supporters world wide.
- Occupy Everything.
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment


text:
- What is marked? marked is an R package that was designed to provide models for capture-recapture analysis that are not currently in MARK (e.g., mixed effect models) or to provide some features that are not currently available in MARK (varying time intervals). It also was a tool for us to explore alternative approaches (e.g. ADMB, MCMC) of fitting models to capture-recapture data.
- What do I need to run marked? - You need a recent version (2.15 or greater) of R and you need to download and install the marked package. A version of marked is available on CRAN and you can download and install it as you would any package. The source code for marked is at
The code in the master branch is the version on CRAN and the version in the devel branch is the current working version. For Windows user's I keep a binary version of more recent development package at:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?ddr ... VVGS0YtWE0
To install the Windows binary, download the file and use the Packages/Install from local zip from the R menu. Simply point to the downloaded file and it will be installed. For non-Windows users, you'll need to install ADMB. - What platforms are supported? Any platform that R supports will run marked. On non-Windows machines, you'll also need to install ADMB to use it.
- Do I need ADMB to run marked? For the most part no, but models can run faster with ADMB. All of the models in marked can be run without ADMB except for the CJS likelihood models with random/mixed effects. The Windows binary mentioned in #2, includes executable files that allow you to use ADMB without having ADMB installed on your computer.
- Should I use marked? marked is not nearly as mature as MARK and marked currently only contains a few models. If you are new to mark-recapture analysis, I suggest you learn MARK and use RMark for the interface if you want to use R. You'll find the documentation for MARK and RMark is much more complete than what is currently available for marked. Also the software is still early in its development and the interface is still being changed in places and the code is not nearly as well debugged. That said, if you are adventuresome and want to use some of the features and models in marked please do so. Also, feel free to peruse the code and make suggestions. Part of our reasoning for developing marked was to explore alternative analysis approaches (e.g., hidden Markov models) and to provide open-source code that others can use or learn from. Users of RMark will see some similarities with marked and the learning curve will be less.
- What should I do if I have a problem using marked? Please first read the documentation (help files and vignette) and if you can't figure it out, post a message to this forum. Unless I'm in the field I'll respond within a day or so.
- What citation should I use for marked?
Laake, J. L., D. S. Johnson, and P. B. Conn. 2013. marked: An R package for maximum-likelihood and MCMC analysis of capture-recapture data. Methods Ecol. Evol. 4:885–890.
You can acces the paper online here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... .12065/pdf


text:
OXON HILL, Md. — "If I die I'm going to take someone else with me," one seaman vowed, grabbing a knife as alarms pierced the Maersk Alabama and pirates with assault weapons clambered aboard.
Back home safe with their families Thursday, the cargo ship's crew described a harrowing contest of wits and mismatched weapons for control of the vessel - as news broke that the leader of the pirate band that took the crew hostage will stand trial on American soil.
The crew cut power. One bandit was led to the dark engine room, where two mariners struggled to tie him up and one stabbed him.
"All we had were knives," shaken crew member William Rios said to FOX News. "They had AK-47s."
As the crew reunited with loved ones on-shore, officials announced that the man behind the attacks would face sentencing in the U.S. - not Kenya, as was previously thought.
The U.S. Navy will bring suspect Abduhl Wal i-Musi to New York to stand trial for the kidnapping at sea, sources said.
Details about the trial and Wal-i-Musi weren't clear, but government sources confirmed that all of the pirates were between the ages of 17 and 19. The three other pirates were killed by sharpshooting Navy snipers on deck.
The crew prevailed, at the cost of seeing their skipper taken hostage on a lifeboat for five days. Freed by Navy SEAL marksmen who killed his captors, Capt. Richard Phillips now has his own homecoming ahead.
A second chartered flight was ready to fly Phillips home to his family in Vermont, probably Friday.
"I'm just so relieved and overwhelmed that it's over," said third engineer John Cronan of Merion, Pa. "I'm home now. The greatest country in the world."
A chartered flight delivered the men into the arms of their exuberant families early Thursday. Everyone was spirited off to luxurious quarters outside Washington to celebrate and recuperate.
The setting at Gaylord National Resort was a far cry from the crushing heat, shouts and fears that enveloped the ship off the African coast when pirates made it aboard on their third try.
Electrician John White of Lake Helen, Fla., was having coffee in the galley before breakfast when the alarms went off and he was told to secure two doors and hide.
"The ship was totally dark," he said. "It was 130 degrees in the place. We were hiding for 12 hours. I laid down on the floor to keep from passing out."
Crewman ATM "Zahid" Reza, of West Hartford, Conn., said he and his mates led the pirate leader, Abdul, to the darkened engine room.
"I held him, I tied his hands and tied his legs," said Reza, originally from Bangladesh. I told him, 'You're a Muslim and I'm a Muslim.'
"He was fighting me. There was a lot of yelling, shouting and screaming. I was attempting to kill him. He was scared. He said he was planning to ask for $3 million.
During the noisy struggle, Reza said, he stabbed the pirate in the hand.
That episode probably saved the bandit's life. Days later, his wound festering, he went on the destroyer USS Bainbridge to get his hand treated and to negotiate over Phillips' fate. While he was aboard the destroyer, U.S. snipers shot and killed the three pirates still on the lifeboat, freeing the Maersk Alabama captain unharmed.
Crewman Miguel Ruiz of New York City said that when the pirates boarded the ship he grabbed a flashlight and a knife, went to a secure area and thought, "If I die I'm going to take someone else with me."
Phillips tried to keep his men calm as they gathered in designated parts of the ship. "We got orders to do nothing," Ruiz said.
Yet several crewmen had the wounded pirate bound up. They gave him water and food. "We are merchant marines," Ruiz said. "We are not killers."
He recalled an exchange with one of the pirates, who were aged 17 to 19: "I said to him, why do you do that?" The pirate, Ruiz said, responded: "We've got 20 million people in Somalia who are poor, that don't have education. We don't have no food."
Added Rios, also from New York, "We had control of the ship."
The seamen told their story in bits and pieces Thursday, in the company of loved ones who had cheered their homecoming after midnight on a wet, cold tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base. They found a wee-hours feast of beef, lobster risotto, wine and beer waiting for them at the resort.
Phillips' brinkmanship with the bandits had unfolded out of the crew's sight. But at some point, the crew said, the skipper agreed to surrender himself in exchange for the safety of his men and the release of his ship.
When the men heard a coded announcement, they came out of their secure areas and found four pirates on the deck with their guns.
"They couldn't get off the ship without our help," he said. "They got into a boat to leave. They needed our help but unfortunately they snagged the captain."
The stand off continued from there, the destroyer arriving on the scene and the Maersk Alabama sailing on to Kenya with its cargo of relief supplies.
On Sunday, snipers on the destroyer took their three shots at the three remaining pirates, killing them.
Maersk Alabama crewmen who addressed the question said they planned to go back to sea. They and their families asked the U.S. and other naval powers to make their work safer.
"Something needs to be done to protect the crews," said Robert Vaughan of Dallas, a brother of third mate Colin Wright. Still, he said of his brother, "He'll be back out there. That's his job."
Second mate Ken Quinn of Bradenton, Fla., acknowledged he'll worry when sailing pirate-infested waters again. "It would be good to be armed," he said, "but if we start shooting at them, they might start killing more seamen."
Myra Ruiz, Miguel's wife, recalled how she heard about the attack on the ship.
"My daughter answered the phone," she said through a translator. "She wasn't talking, but her eyes were full of tears. I felt nervous and couldn't control myself.
"We felt very happy" when they found out that he had been freed, she said.
Phillips sailed to Kenya on the destroyer, which diverted to help another U.S. ship harassed by pirates.
A plane carrying Phillips was expected to arrive at Vermont's Burlington International Airport late Friday, said George Bacigalupo, general manager of Atlantic Aviation at the airport.


text:
We are less than a week away from the deadline to file taxes which no doubt will have millions of procrastinating Americans scrambling. Even if you aren't one of the last-minute filers, tax time can be stressful because of all the questions related to giving your scratch to Uncle Sam. Take Vicky in Ohio, for example, who wants to know if the government can double dip into her funds.
Why can the government double-tax my income? The IRS says I have to report my 2004 tax refund on my 2005 federal return. How can they be permitted to re-tax this money?
-- Vicky D., Cincinnati, Ohio
I'm going to assume you're talking about your state income tax refund. A refund from the IRS is not considered income and is not taxed; however, your state income tax refund is another matter. Let's assume you overpaid your taxes to Ohio on your 2004 return and got your refund in 2005. You probably deducted the full amount of those state taxes on your 2004 federal tax return. But because you got that refund, you actually overstated your state income tax deduction on your federal return. The result: you paid less federal tax last year than you actually owed.
The state will report the amount of your refund to the IRS and they will expect you to treat it as taxable income on your next return. In the , use the worksheet on page 24 to determine the taxable portion of your refund.
"The reality is you didn't pay enough taxes the first year because your deductions were too high. This is just restoring an overstated deduction," says Britt Smith, President of Smith & Just Certified Public Accountants in Seattle.
This situation only comes up for people who itemize on their federal return. If you take the standard deduction and don't claim your state taxes as a specific deduction, the money refunded to you is not considered income and there are no tax consequences.
Why are we paying more for diesel than gasoline?
-- Jerry W. Elko, Nev.
There are so many factors impacting the price of petroleum products that it is impossible to point a finger at any one. And everyone you ask has a different answer: the volatile global oil market, increased world demand for diesel or greedy oil companies.
Dave Fogerty, a spokesperson with the Western States Petroleum Association, says diesel "is subject to many of the same market conditions as gasoline." Demand for diesel in the U.S. is growing 4 percent a year and the increase is more dramatic in Europe, where diesel will grow to about 40 percent of the market in the next few years, according to Fogerty.
And Europe's rising demand for diesel will drive up prices in the U.S.. "Refined products are now a worldwide commodity, and refiners can get a lot more for their diesel over there," says Angela Veitch at the Energy Information Administration.
Consumer advocate Tyson Slocum has another explanation for the higher prices. "The oil companies are charging more because they can," he says. "It's legal for them to get away with it." Slocum, director of the energy program at Public Citizen, blames big mergers for reducing competition. According to Slocum, the ten largest oil companies controlled 55 percent of the market in 1999, now they control more than 83 percent. "When you reduce competition, you have less ability for the free market to set a fair price," he argues.
According to the on April 10, the average price for diesel nationwide was about 5 cents a gallon more than regular gasoline. The difference in price has closed significantly in recent weeks as gasoline prices have skyrocketed. Just a month ago, the spread was almost 30 cents. In your home state, Nevada, diesel averaged 15 cents a gallon higher than gasoline on April 10. Be thankful you're not driving in Utah according to the latest AAA data, diesel costs about 41 cents a gallon more than gasoline!
Diesel prices could get another boost because of a change in the way it is refined. Starting this fall, new clean air rules will require diesel to have much lower sulfur levels. The new ultra-low sulfur diesel will be more costly to produce and those costs will likely be passed to consumers.
On a brighter note, a diesel engine is more fuel efficient than a gasoline engine. According to the auto experts at Edmunds.com, the engine can be 20 to 40 percent more efficient, giving you a little more bang for your buck.
I have a loan that is due on the 15th of each month. If my payment is not received by the 30th a penalty is imposed, so I figure there's this 15-day grace period. If I pay this bill on the 20th can they report me to the credit bureau as being late?
-- MJS (city withheld)
Let me start by stating the obvious: the due date is the due date. But chances are you won't have a problem.
Gerri Detweiler, author of "The Ultimate Credit Handbook", says most lenders won't report you until you are 30 days late. "There's no guarantee, of course, but that's the usual rule of thumb," she says.
I contacted two of the big three credit reporting agencies, Experian and TransUnion, and they confirm that's the way it normally works -- a delinquent payment isn't noted in a credit file until it is 30 days or longer past due.
Still, it would make sense to check with your lender to find out exactly what the policy is for reporting late payments.
Are there any limitations on the early withdrawal penalty a bank can charge you for closing a Certificate of Deposit before the maturity date?
-- Bill, Silver Spring, Md.
The Federal Reserve Board's covers early withdrawals and it does not limit the penalty. So if you cash out early, a bank can ding you for as much as it wants.
Regulation D says a bank must charge a penalty "of at least seven days simple interest" if you withdraw money from a CD (or other time deposit) within the first six days after the deposit. Since the bank can charge you more, it's important to ask the financial institution about its penalty structure.
Greg McBride, Senior Financial Analyst at , points out that many banks vary the penalty based on the maturity of the CD. The penalty is typically 3-months interest for a CD of 1-year or less. The penalty is usually higher for 2-year, 3-year or 5-year CDs. "In that case, you are easily looking at a 9-month, maybe a year, interest penalty," McBride says.
There is a reason why financial institutions want to discourage you from making an early withdrawal. They're paying you an interest rate on that CD that is higher than what you'd get on a liquid account -- such as a money market or savings account –- because you are making a commitment to leave your money there for a specified amount of time. "If the investor breaks that commitment and withdraws the money prior to maturity," McBride says, "that complicates things for the bank, and they'll slap you with a penalty."


text:
I'm shopping for a used car and am seriously considering a used hybrid, such as a Civic or Prius. Friends have warned me that hybrid batteries wear out and are very expensive to replace. So what is the expected life of a used hybrid battery and what do new hybrid batteries cost? I emailed the same question to the Car Talk guys, but their auto-response said they get 500 emails a day, so they are unlikely to be able to respond.
-- Dale Wright in Tacoma, Washington
I'm honored to fill in for the worthy Car Talk guys, and relish another opportunity to refute those chronic hybrid-dissers who keep busy contriving anti-hybrid arguments. Even if you did have replace the battery, you'd still probably come out money ahead with the hybrid.
The expected battery life, according to Toyota, is at least 100,000 miles or 8 years for the first-generation Prius models. To back this up, the batteries of the first-generation Priuses are covered by warranty for this mileage and time period, and both companies report a very low failure rate even for batteries past their warranty period.
In some states (your neighboring Oregon and California, plus Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, batteries of second-generation Priuses (2004 to 2008) are covered for 150,000 miles or 10 years. So if you buy a used hybrid, be sure you have the warranty because if the battery croaked before reaching these miles or age, you shouldn't have to pay to replace it. The Honda battery life expectancy and warranties are the same.
Toyota says that its recommended price for a a battery pack for a first-generation Prius is $2,299, while the price or the battery pack for the second-generation cars (2004 to 2008 models) is $2,588. That's the battery price itself; the individual dealer's markup and charges for labor will of course add to this. So you're looking at something around $3,000 to $3,500 if the hybrid has exceeded the warranty limits. Honda has similar prices for the Civic.
A lot of money, yes, but, if you drive the Prius sensibly, you should get around 45 miles per gallon. So, that means you get 20 mpg more than the all-too-typical 25. If you drive 10,000 miles per year, you'd save 188 gallons per year, or $564 at $3 per gallon. So in five or six years (or sooner, if gas prices go up drastically, as they occasionally do), your fuel savings would cover the cost of battery replacement.
Of course, I don't recommend that everybody rush out and buy a Prius. It depends on what you can afford and what the car costs. As I've said before, some folks might be better off buying a cheaper car with lower mpg, and investing the extra cash in other energy-saving measures, like insulation, solar panels, a new furnace, and so on.


text:
Course pages 2014–15
Computer Security: Current Applications and Research
Principal lecturer: Prof Ross Anderson
Additional lecturers: Dr Robert Watson, Dr Frank Stajano, Dr Alastair Beresford
Taken by: MPhil ACS, Part III
Code: R210
Hours: 16 (8 × two-hour seminar sessions)
Prerequisites: It is recommended that students undertaking this course also take the Michaelmas term course R209 Computer Security: Principles and Foundations.
In the second security course in the ACS, we turn our attention to active research topics in computer security at the Computer Laboratory. One unifying theme is how to build secure systems at scale that contain more secure and less secure components. Building on the lessons from multilevel secure systems and security protocols discussed in the first course, we will explore infrastructure versus applications; services versus clients; the use of smartcards and other cryptographic processors; API security; and failure modes from covert channels to concurrency vulnerabilities.
There will be eight two-hour seminars on the following topics. Students are expected to read the required set papers before each class. All students are expected to submit a brief written summary of the readings in advance of each class, and students will be nominated to give brief presentations of each paper, or of cross-cutting aspects of all the papers, to lead discussion.
- Security of the Internet infrastructure
- Covert and anonymous communications
- Bootstrapping security relationships
- Research topics: API security
- Research topics: Tampering with hardware
- Research topics: Contemporary capability systems
- Research topics: Malware reverse engineering
- Research topics: Payment systems
On completion of this module, students should:
- understand some of the problems of protecting large-scale systems where only some of the components can be defended against capable motivated opponents
- appreciate a number of current areas of security research at Cambridge
Participants will be expected to undertake six hours of preparatory work before each meeting. This will involve:
- Reading a set number of papers
- Following up references and other related work
- Writing a weekly essay summarising assigned papers or, as assigned by the course instructor, preparing and delivering a 20-minute presentation on a specific paper
- Essay text or presentation slides must be submitted both on paper to the graduate education office, and by e-mail, by the specified deadline
- Participating in class discussion on both the assigned papers and broader issues raised by the week's readings
Each week, three class participants will be assigned to introduce an assigned papers via 20-minute presentations as if reporting the work at a conference. This will be followed by five minutes of questions and ten minutes of discussion. The final fifteen minutes of the class will be spent discussuing the broader issues raised by the week's papers.
Students will give at least one presentation each term, but are not required to submit a paper on weeks where they are also presenting. Slides must be used, and it is strongly recommended that speakers make use of illustrations in conveying the material of the paper. For logistical reasons, an instructor-provided computer will be used for all presentations; no last-minute substitution of slides is permitted.
Weekly essays will be up to 1,500 words summarising the complete set of assigned papers, identifying common themes, discussing the broader context, and enumerating possible class discussion topics. While essays need not be 1,500 words in length, participants are advised that essays under 800 words are unlikely to contain sufficient detail or discussion to achieve full marks.
All participants are expected to attend and participate in every class; the instructor must be notified of any absences in advance.
Practical work
Each week, course participants are awarded a maximum of 10 marks reflecting the quality of the submitted essay or presentation. The lowest essay or presentation mark of the term will be dropped. Remaining marks will be scaled to a maximum final score out of 100.
For essays, a total of ten marks can be awarded. Up to two marks are assigned for adequate coverage of each of five sections/areas: summary of papers; discussion of key themes spanning the papers; consideration of current context; literature review; and class discussion questions.
For presentations, a total of ten marks can be awarded. Criteria include: effective teaching of the key ideas; a critical evaluation of the work; tracing related research; considering current implications vs historical context of the work; and successful answering of Q&A as well as triggering a useful and interesting class discussion.
All submitted essays should provide a word count.
Recommended reading
Anderson, R. J. (2008). Security Engineering, Wiley (second edition)
Gollmann, D. (2010). Computer Security, Wiley
Marshall Kirk McKusick, George V. Neville-Neil, and Robert N. M. Watson. "Chapter 5 - Security", The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System, 2nd Edition, Pearson Education, Boston, MA, USA, September 2014


text:
Riparian buffers, natural or planted vegetation areas adjacent to bodies of water, reduce storm and polluted water runoff, excessive sedimentation and erosion, and help recharge groundwater.
Water quality in ponds, lakes, and rivers can be adversely impacted if developments encroach too closely to shorelines and stream banks.
Riparian buffers are a minimum of 30 meters (100 feet) wide and extend:
- A minimum of 7.5 to 15 meters (25 to 50 feet) into the water, and
- A minimum of 15 to 30 meters (50 to 100 feet) from the water's edge onto the land.
The slope of the riparian buffer should be less than 5% and increase in width as the slope increases. The wider the buffer, the better it will function.


text:
I just got back from World Maker Faire New York, where an astonishing 70 different kinds of 3D printers were on display—maybe the largest single gathering of these "additive manufacturing" machines ever assembled!
To call 3D printing "hot" is a bit of an understatement. Bre Pettis, the founder of the most well-known 3D printer company these days, MakerBot, is on the cover of WIRED magazine this month with the statement, "This Machine Will Change the World." !!?! While I was in New York, a 3D printer company Formlab announced a new printer on Kickstarter, asking for $100K. It was at $750K within 24 hours, and is now with 17 days remaining, at $1.786 MILLION. 3D printers are RED hot.
What is a 3D printer, you ask? 3D printers make three dimensional objects. A computer design file generates a pattern, and an extruder that can move back and forth AND up and down AND side to side lays down successive layers of material on a tray (the "bed"). A lot of printers use plastic rolled up on a big spool – kind of like "thread" – and the extruder melts it and lays it down. Cool innovations in types of material used — concrete, filaments of wood, metal — are making 3D printing more interesting. It's a tool only big manufacturers used to be able to afford and that more ambitious makers have in the past few years gotten their hands on; now everyone is saying it's the next must-have fancy household appliance for everyone.
And YES we'll have 3D printers for you to check out at the East Bay Mini Maker Faire. Type A Machines, a San Francisco 3D printer company fresh from Maker Faire New York, will be showing off their Series 1 printer. Type A co-founder Ronald Miloh Alexander is an electrical engineer and a hackerspace engineer. Their origin story and mission from their website FAQ is nice: "Forged in the fires of Noisebridge and TechShop [makerspaces in San Francisco], a team of dedicated hackers set out on an epic journey to bring better desktop 3D printers within everyone' reach."
To that end, Miloh will be teaching a session at the Faire on this new, easier, and more affordable world of digital fabrication. His session is titled "D43D: Remixing Digital Designs for the Physical World." Miloh will provide a background on design fundamentals that are suitable for 3d printers, as well as an introduction to the basic operation of 3d printers. "This
class provides the student with the necessary skills to start designing digital objects for additive manufacturing, and work with a variety of machines." You can find this class time on the schedule page.
The other 3D printer company coming to the East Bay Mini Maker Faire is Hyrel 3D. They are coming all the way from Georgia to show! And we think Ace Monster Toys will be bringing their MakerBots as well. Designfluence will be running some printers off their solar generator. NOTE that we'd love to show a Replicator or even a Replicator 2, but MakerBot the company is busy this weekend. If you have a 3D printer you'd like to run, email us at firstname.lastname@example.com and we'll try to get you a last-minute space.